What I did in Belize: Sally Traxler

What I did in Belize

What does being a missionary mean to you? For me, it means sharing the love of Jesus Christ with those I encounter through my words, actions, or the simple witness of my life. During this year’s spring break, the Lord called me to be his missionary in San Pedro, Belize. FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, offers Catholic mission trips to college students to places all around the world during their seasonal breaks. Just recently, I went on my first FOCUS mission trip. I was also joined by a chaplain, four FOCUS missionaries, and six other Catholic, college students, like myself, from around the U.S.

          

    On the ground, we worked with the local Catholic Church, San Pedro (St. Peter). Our first day, we drove around on golf carts with local parishioners, evangelizing and offering to pray with those who desired it. This was so fun and a great opportunity to work on my evangelization skills. Once we got into our schedule for the week, we worked with the local organization St. Theresa Casita every morning. Their mission is to provide faith based help to women on the island suffering from physical and spiritual poverty, domestic violence, and pregnancy. Our mornings on the island consisted of taking a scenic stroll to daily mass and holy hour. We would return for an authentic Belizean breakfast, and then begin visiting the houses of women in need, bringing them food, water, other necessities, and our prayers. Our main mission during these house visits was to share our faith with these women and their families. We got to talk about faith, pray, and encourage them to pursue their Catholic faith. It was beautiful to hear their testimonies and witness their hearts.

After our lunches of tamales, beans and rice, empanadas, and other tasty, Belizean cuisine, we helped the church with chores. This involved painting, cleaning, and landscaping. These were some of my favorite time, as I got to bond with my teammates over painting large storage containers in the beating sun and cleaning dusty ceiling fans while propped up on a ladder. It was amazing to meet and bond with so many other Catholic, college students on fire for their faith.

Our final mission in Belize was to help with San Pedro’s Lenten mission week. Every evening, we went out in pairs to parish households where we watched the Augustine Institute’s series “Presence” on the Eucharist. These videos were so insightful, informing us on the history and biblical testimony to Christ’s institution of the Eucharist. For five days, I got to share my faith with a local family by visiting their house every evening with one of my teammates. Our time together consisted of watching the videos, discussion, prayer, and fellowship over a Belizean snack. This family was so welcoming and kind; their faith as a family was inspiring. I am thankful to have been able to share life with them and experience their culture.

Our last day on the island was a fun one. We finished our chores early to go to the beach. We swam, conversed, had handstand competitions, and enjoyed our last day in the sun. We finished the evening off with adoration, praise and worship, and confession with the community. The next morning was somber; none of us were excited to leave the island, but we had to. We enjoyed our last ocean view on the water taxi back to the main land, where we boarded our plane and said “good-bye” to Belize.

            It’s easy to call yourself a missionary when you travel around the world proclaiming the gospel, but I believe we are all called to be missionaries in our day to day lives. We are called to share Jesus with our families, neighbors, friends, etc., whether that be with our words or with our actions. Like Saint Theresa of Calcutta said, “Love begins at home”. So, start small, have hope, and trust in him.